Pneumatic pump.



IVI. S. SWANSROM.

PNEUMATIC PUMP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I7. I9I3.

11.91 79,??5 Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

M. S. SWNSTROM.

PNEUMATIC PUMP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I7. I9I3` Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IVI. S. SWANSTROIVI.

PNEUMATIC PUMP.

MPLlcATioN FILED MAR.17,1913.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 MARTIN S. SWANSTROM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PNEUMATIC PUMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

Application led March 17', 1913. Serial No. 754,675.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN S. SWAN.- s'rnonr, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Pumps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to pneumatic pumps ot' the submerged type, and has for its object improvements in pumps of that kind.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevation; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section of the upper portion; Fig. 3 is a similar section of the lower portion; Fig. 4: is a section on line 4.-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a section of the connection at the top of the main float; and Fig. G is a plan of the base.

In the present construction there are two cylinders connected together each of which is provided with inlet and outlet openings for air and water. The valves in the water connections are simply check valves. The valves in the air passages are operated by main floats-one in each cylinder1 in the middle of the length thereof. 'Ihe operation of the main Heat is controlled by auxiliary floats located near the tops and bottoms of both cylinders, and the two connections are such that the two main floats operate simultaneously and conjointly to open and close the air valves. making the coi'l'trol-of the main oats double lin such a way that the main lloats can operate only when such operation is initiated simultaneously by an upper auxiliary iloat in one cylinder and a lower auxiliary lioat in the other cylinder. AILt all other times the main lioats are locked against operation, with the result that the valves can be shifted only when one cylinder is full of water and the other is full of air. In addition I proportion the inlets and outlets to each other so that the cylinders fill with water more rapidly than they empty.

In the said drawings, A represents the base, B the cap, and C the cylinders. Se-

'cured to the cap or head B, and in each cylinder, is a frame D which carries a series of levers and links which in certain positions form locking toggles. Referring to Fig. 2, there are pivoted at 10 and 11 the levers 12 and 13, which have their outer ends connected together by a link 14 and pivots 15 and 16. The downward movement of each lever 12 is limited by a lug 17 on the frame D, while the levers 13 are similarly limited rllhis is accomplished by;

in movement by the lugs 18. The lever 13 and the link 14 form a toggle in which the point 15 comes very near to, but never quite reaches, a straight line joining centers 1l and 1G. The upper and lower positions of point 15 are shown in Fig. 2 at the right and left, respectively.

Fivoted to the frame D at 19 and20 are the levers 21 and 22, which levers have their outer ends connected by a link 23 and points 211 and 25. The lever 21 and the link 23 form a toggle in which the point 25 comes very near but never quite reaches a Straight line joining centers 19 and 24.

Pivoted at 26 is a lever 27 which isyconnected by a link 28 to the pivot pin 21.1,` The upper end of the link 28 has a pivot 29 which is connected to the pivot 16 on lever 12 by a link 30./'1`he lever 12 and the link 30 form a toggle in which the point 16 comes near but never reaches a straight line joining the centers 1G and 29.

The main float F is connected to the outer end of the lever 27, and the upper auiiliary float F1 is connected to the toggle center 15 by a rod 32. By inspection of the left hand part of Fig. 2 it will be seen that an upward thrust on the rod 31 will be conveyed through the link 28 to the toggle 12-30 which has its pivots very nearly in a straight line. is this thrust is in the direction from 29 toward 10 it will be evident that a very little restraint on the center 16 will prevent the thrust from releasing the toggle .l2-30. As the center 16 is one end oi the toggle 13-11- on whose center is suspended the fioat F1, it will be evident that as long as there is a downward strain on the center 15, no upward thrust on the rod 31 will cause the various 'levers and links to shift from the position shown at the left in Fig. 2. It will also be evident, however, that an upward thrust on the center 15 will release the toggles 13-11 and 12-30, and that this release will permit an upward thrust on the rod 31 to shift the levers and links from their lower to their upper position provided there is no other restraint.

Secured to and forming part of the lever 21 is a lever 33 connected by a link 34 to a lever 35 pivoted at 36 to the frame D. Levers 21 and 33 are in fact simply two arms of a lever pivoted at 19. Secured to the lever 35 is a rod 37 which is connected to the lower auxiliary float F2. By inspection of the left half of Fig. 2 it will be seen that an upward strain on the rod 37 is conveyed By inspection of the right half of Fig. 2

itwirlrl be seen that a downward pull of the maln ioat F upon the rod 31 will be conveyed through the lever 27 and link 28 to cause a movement of the point 24 about the pivot 20 as acenter. But as 24 is the end of the toggle 21-23, it will be evident that a light pressure toward the left on center 25 will restrain any movement by such a pull on the part of the main float F. By following the connections from 2l through 33, 34, and 35 to the rod 37 it will be seen that an upward thrustl by the lower auxiliary float F2 will furnish the restraining pressure on the center 25. Also, it will be seen that a downward pull on the rod 37 will act to release the toggle 21-23 and permit the main ioat F to shift the apparatus.

Suitably supported on the head B is a walking beam 38 which is connected by rods 39 to the levers 22 in each cylinder. These connections are such that the levers in the two cylinders C are restrained to shift positionv simultaneously and not at dii'erent times.

Fig. 2 shows the levers and connections in the position which they occupy when the left hand cylinder C is filling with water by the escape of air, and the right hand cylinder C is filling with air by forcing out the water. As the water rises in the left hand cylinder it first submerges the auxiliary float F2' and causes an upward thrust on the rod 37. This, however, is resisted by the position of the toggle 22--25-3. When the main oat F becomes submerged by the rising water there will be an upward thrust upon the rod 31, but movement will be restrained by the toggle 13-14 as long as the oat F1 is not submerged and has its weight hanging upon the center 15. When the auxiliary float F1 inallv becomes submerged it will push upward on the center 15 and release the toggle 13-14. The upward force of the main float F will then act to shift the connections in the left hand cylinder C, but this action will be restrained at the lever 22 by the connections 38 and 39 until the lever 22 in the right hand cylinder C is free to move downward.

Referring now to the right hand cylinder C, when the water level falls below the auxiliary iioat F1 its weight will hang upon the center 15, but downward movement will be restrained by the link 30 and the toggle 21-23. When the water level falls below the main ioat F there will be a downward pull upon the rod 31, but a movement will be restrained by the toggle 21-23 as long as the lower auxiliary float F 2 is submerged and causes an upward thrust on the rod 37. When the water level falls below the float F2, the downward pull on the rod 37 will release the toggle 21-23 and permit the main float to shift the levers to their lower position provided that action is not restrained at the lever 22 in the other cylinder.

The various inlet and outlet ports are designed so that the cylinders will normally fill with water more rapidly than they are emptied by the incoming of air, and assuming that the left hand cylinder C was full of water before the auxiliary iioat F2 in the right hand cylinder acted, then, when this last happens, we will have the main 'loat in theI left hand cylinder completely submerged and actingupward, and the main iioat in the right hand cylinder completely suspended in air and acting downward, and both free to act. The result will be simultaneous and joint action by both main floats to shift the apparatus.

The air inlet pipes 40 are normally closed by the valves 41, but these valves are opened by contact between their stems and the 1evers 12 at their upper positions. Air exhaust valves 42 are normally open by gravity, but are closed by contact between their stems and the links 14 in their upper positions. The central portion 43 of the stem for valves 42 are preferably of rubber so that they will yield and not furnish a solid abutment for the upward movement of the floats and levers. On the connecting rods 39 are rubber sleeves 44 which serve to close the openings around the rods 39 when the levers 22 move upward. When the levers 22 are in their lower position the sleeves 44 move downward and thus open small exhaust ports in the opening around the rods 39.

The base A is cylindrical and is divided into two parts by a partition A1. The lower openings in the base are l'normally closed by inwardly opening check valves E as will be readily understood by inspection of Fig. 3. The valves E are made as large as practicable so that water will flow inward as rapidly as air can be exhausted around the valves 42 and rods 39, and these 'exhaust ports are purposely made larger than the inlet ports closed by the valves 41. The object of this is to always have a supply of water in the pump so that there will be no pause in its discharge owing to the lack is connected to a suitable reservoir for compressed air so that a supply is always available for the operation of the pump. rIhe discharge pipe P is connected to faucets where water is to be delivered. When a faucet is open water will How from the pump, but when all faucets are closed the pump will stop because there is no place to which the compressed air can force the water.

In the operation previously described, the main floats F act to open and close valves only when one is completely submerged and the other is suspended in the air and entirely clear of the water. As a consequence they act suddenly and with considerable force because of their size. To prevent injury to the connections between the rods 3l and the oat I insert in each a yielding connection as shown in Fig. 5. This consists of a piece of pipe 48 in which are two pieces of rubber 49. A collar 50 on the rod 31 lies between these pieces of rubber. When there is a sudden upward or downward movement of the float the jar is absorbed by one or the other of these pieces of rubber.

It will be noticed that the main exhaust valves 42 close comparatively large ports, and that the valves 4A, which are opened by the floats F, close comparatively small ports. As pressure in the cylinder holds the exhaust valves to their seats it will be evident that the power required of a float is only enough to open a valve all as a relief valve, whereupon the associated exhaust valve l2 will open by gravity.

What I claim is:-

l. In a submerged pump, two chambers, inlet and outlet valves for air, a vertically moving float in each chamber for actuating said valves, and automatically operating means located below the lloat for controlling the upward movement thereof.

2. In a submerged pump, two chambers, inlet and outlet valves for air, a vertically moving float in each chamber for actuating said valves, and automatically operating means located above the float for controlling the downward movement thereof.

3. In a submerged pump, two chambers, inlet and outlet valves for air, a main float in each chamber, locking devices in each chamber for normally restraining the operation of its associated main float, auxiliary iloats in each chamber located above and below the main oats, connections from the auxiliary floats to the associated locking devices for releasing them when the water level is at predetermined points above and. below the main float, and interconnections between the cylinders by which the lockreleasing is by the conjoint action of an upper auxiliary float in one chamber and a. 4 lower auxiliary oat in the other chamber.

in each chamber, locking devices for re straining said oats, upper and lower auxiliary floats in each chamber, connections from the auxiliary floats to the locking devices or both holding and releasing them, means by which the locking ,devices may be held in locked position by the action by one only of said auxiliary floats, and means by which the release of said ylocking devices is by joint action of two of said auxiliary iioats. j

6. In a submerged pump, the combination with two chambers, inlet and outlet valves for air, and a valve operating loat in each chamber, of auxiliary floats in each chamber above and below the valve operating floats, means by which the valve operating floats are restrained by the action of the auxiliary ioats, and means by which that restraint is removed when both auxiliary floats in one chamber are submerged and the lower auxiliary oat in the other chamber is freed from submergence suciently to fall by gravity.

7. In a submerged pump, the combination with two chambers, inlet and outlet valves for air, and a valve operating oat in each chamber, of locking devices for restraining the movements of the valve operating floats, auxiliary oats in each chamber above and below the valve operating ioats, connections from the auxiliary floats to the locking devices for shifting them, and means by which the auxiliary iioats are operated by the conjoint action of maximum and minimum' water levels in the two chambers.

8. In a pneumatic pump provided with inlet and outlet openings for air, an exhaust valve for permitting the escape of air from the pump after it has been admitted through an inlet opening, a float, and a relief valve opened by the float to relieve the pressure in the pump and to permit the exhaust valve to open freely.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 14th day of March, 1913.

MARTIN S. SWANSTRGM. 

